Reconciling Places. Paul A. Hoffman

      Reconciling Places

      How to Bridge the Chasms in our Communities

      Copyright © 2020 Paul A. Hoffman. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Cascade Books

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-5122-9

      hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-5123-6

      ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-5124-3

      Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

      Names: Hoffman, Paul A., author. | Woodward, J. R., foreword.

      Title: Reconciling places: how to bridge the chasms in our communities / by Paul A. Hoffman; foreword by J. R. Woodward.

      Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020 | Includes bibliographical references.

      Identifiers: isbn 978-1-5326-5122-9 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-5326-5123-6 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-5326-5124-3 (ebook)

      Subjects: LCSH: Reconciliation—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Christianity and justice. | Sacred space.

      Classification: bt738.27 .h50 2020 (print) | bt738.27 (ebook)

      All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

      Manufactured in the U.S.A. 08/11/20

      To the people of

      Evangelical Friends Church of Newport,

      past, present, and future:

      you have taught me far more than

      I have taught you.

      For this I remain deeply humbled and grateful.

      “By the time you finish Reconciling Places, many pages will be dog-eared for future reference. Hoffman is not an armchair theologian pontificating ideas that work in theory alone; he’s a tested, bridge-building disciple who has embodied reconciliation with his life and ministry.”

      —Matthew D. Kim, author of Preaching with Cultural Intelligence

      “Reconciling Places is a well-written and engaging discussion about building bridges across differences. Paul Hoffman guides his readers through ideas and stories and examples of what it means to do just that—to span the divide in our thinking and ultimately in our communities, to act biblically, theologically, Christianly through prayer, by the words we use with each other, and by forming connections with other reconcilers.”

      —Scott M. Gibson, David E. Garland Professor of Preaching, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

      “Paul challenges you to go deeper and look within yourself in his book Reconciling Places. These are not merely written words on a piece of paper but a man of faith who has prayed many years not only to embrace reconciliation but lived it out as a personal testimony in Jesus Christ. My highest recommendation.”

      —Stephen A. Robinson, author of Mega-Small Church

      “In a time of great confusion, disorientation, and division, how can we find our place in this world and in God’s plan for Earth? This book is a foundational starting point, especially for those drawn to justice, reconciliation, and peacemaking efforts. . . . The message of this book is more relevant today than any other time in history. We need a generation of reconcilers and peacemakers to arise as never before.”

      —Tom and Kate Hess, Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations, Mount of Olives

      “In this book Paul Hoffman takes readers on a theological journey, offering examples of speaking into urban spaces as a reconciled reconciler. Fleshing out theology into deeper understandings of the story of God-at-work in the lives of real people, it is earthed in lived examples of his experiences of reconciliation as a pastor and leader. Widening theological ideas, engaging with research, giving voice to the breadth of this field, this book is readable but deep, encouraging us to see the world (and church) newly, change our practice, be challenged in our thinking, and reflect more of the very nature of God.”

      —Deirdre Brower Latz, Principal and Senior Lecturer in Pastoral and Social Theology, Nazarene Theological College

      “If you care about peace, reconciliation, healing, and community building, Reconciling Places is for you. . . . Hoffman demonstrates God’s great desire to build a peaceful, unified community that is delivered from hostility, suspicion, and hatred that separates. Reconciling Places is not just another academic work. The words you read in this book have been lived. First by Jesus our Savior, but secondly by the author whose words are matched by his character. . . . Paul is the real deal and this book is the real thing. I highly recommend it!”

      —Thomas L. Crawford, Executive Director of Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region

      Foreword

      One way to comprehend the increasing polarization in our world is by understanding the competing ideologies in America today. There is “nationalism” or “white nationalism” on one end and “progressive liberalism” on the other. Both are ideologies and both are idols as well. David Koyzis, in his book Political Visions & Illusions, makes a solid case that ideology is idolatry because an ideology has its own account of sin and redemption. It has its own soteriology, its own eschatology, its own telos. Like any idol, every ideology seeks ultimate allegiance and promises to save people from real or perceived fear. To that end, ideology causes blindness and deafness. Often when people are captive to ideology, their ability to listen to or view something from a different perspective is limited or nonexistent.

      This blindness and deafness happen not only to people outside the faith but also to those who are seeking to follow Jesus. The Gospel of Mark often portrays the disciples as blind and deaf to who Jesus was and what his mission was truly about. It is no accident that at the center of the Gospel of Mark (7:31—9:30) reside stories of Jesus healing the sight of two different men, and in the middle Jesus casts out a deaf and dumb spirit.

      Sight is an important metaphor for Mark, and the healing of one of the blind men in two stages (Mark 8:22–26) indicates the confused state of the disciples. It is directly after this that Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” While Peter responded with insight, it wasn’t long before Jesus rebuked him sharply, saying, “Get behind me, Satan,” indicating his insight was followed by a significant blind spot.

      The Apostle Paul said that he saw through a mirror dimly (1 Cor 13:12). Those with wisdom recognize that there is only One who sees truth objectively. For the rest of us, our point of view is shaped by the point from which we view the world. Our context, where we stand geographically, sociologically, economically, biologically, and autobiographically, shapes how we view reality. In the parable of the sower the only variable is the location of the soil. The sower and seed are the same. The location of the soil determines the response. Likewise, the reigning ideology of where we live tends to hold us captive and in bondage to idolatry, which in turn leads to dehumanizing others. The ecology of our heart is not neutral; it is deeply shaped and often misshaped by socialization in a polarized world.

      The truth we seek is not found in ideology. It is found in a person, the great Reconciler of the world—Jesus